


'Til Death Do Us Party

by Silverkleptofox



Series: Letters from Camp [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and related works
Genre: Dubious use of powers, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Will doesn't say anything, nico has an image to uphold, passive aggressive nico
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 05:15:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9108085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverkleptofox/pseuds/Silverkleptofox
Summary: Number Thirteen is an awesome number for the cabin of the son of Hades, but being sandwiched between cabins twelve and fourteen is a curse in its own right.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a gift for CommunistFireworks on tumblr as past of the PJO Secret Santa 2016 gift exchange. They specifically requested no holiday themes, so please forgive me for the mention of Saturnalia- it simply fit the timeline.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Nico, why are you never at Camp?" Austin asked out of the blue one morning at breakfast.

The son of Hades choked on his coffee and sputtered "Eh...excuse me?" 

"You know..." Austin shrugged, "... you're only ever here on weekends during the summer, and sometimes not even then. I know you have to help out your dad while Lady Persephone is gone, but it's winter time right now and you're still barely here. Why? Don't you like us?"

Will Solace, seated next to his brother and his boyfriend, sipped his own coffee and watched the exchange with interest, wondering how Nico would respond.

"I like you all just fine..." he began, "... camp is just... too noisy for me sometimes. So I leave until it's quieter." 

Austin raised an eyebrow and looked to Will for confirmation, but Will only shrugged noncommittally. 

"Well we're having a bonfire for Saturnalia in a few days, do you think you could tough it out for the rest of the week?" Austin asked with a hopeful half-smile.

"I'll try." Nico replied. "No promises, though." 

Will and Austin shared a glance, and Will went back to his coffee, silently sliding a hand to hold Nico's under the table. 

\-------------

 

The rest of the day passed as an average day at a camp full of hyperactive demigods does: in a blur of swords and song.

As Nico made his way to his cabin after dinner, he felt the ground shake, ever so slightly. He took a deep breath and flattened his lips, anticipating what would be around the corner. 

He stepped around the columns of the dining pavilion and couldn't help but sigh.

Having cabin number thirteen was pretty cool for the son of Hades, since thirteen was widely thought to be an unlucky number. It fit with his image very well.

However... being situated between cabins twelve and fourteen was an absolute curse.

The ground shaking was coming from cabin twelve- the children of Dionysus- who were apparently throwing one of their famous ragers. The music boomed from the house, shaking the leaves of the grapevines that crawled along the walls. He could see the silhouettes of his fellow campers dancing in the windows, red plastic cups of Dr. Pepper held aloft. 

To the right was cabin fourteen- the children of Iris. Somehow they had found one of those multicolored house-projectors and were using it to shine the entire color spectrum over everything within a 200-foot radius...

... including the obsidian walls of cabin thirteen. 

Nico steeled himself and headed into his cabin, hoping the thick stone walls would block out most of the sound and light. He shut the door behind him and leaned against it.

Nope. 

He could still hear the thudding bass of the 80's remix pop tunes next door, and the projector had managed to find the one angle to shine through the _one_ window in the entire building, turning his cabin into a gothic rainbow candyland. 

The décor of Nico's cabin was annoying enough without being broadcast in technicolor. 

Nico wanted nothing more than to shadow-travel straight to the dark, quiet underworld where he had a comfortable bed and spend the night there; and maybe the next day too. 

But Austin has asked him to stay, and Nico wasn't about to back down from a challenge. Not when Will's cabin was finally starting to accept him.

Nico opened the door and made his way to the house of the spawn of Dionysus. Knowing that a knock on the door wouldn't be heard over the music, he let himself in. It might have been his surly look or it might have been the general fear that most campers seemed to have of him, but the revelers parted in Nico's path to Pollux.

"Pollux!" He shouted over the thrumming bass. The son of Dionysus turned to face him, red solo cup in hand. 

"Di Angelo!" Pollux replied with a smile, taking a sip of his Dr. Pepper. "What can I do for you, neighbor?"

"Turn down your music," Nico replied, "it's loud enough to wake the dead." 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Nico realized his mistake. Pollux nearly spat out his drink laughing at his unintentional play on words. Embarrassed, Nico turned on his heel and stormed out. 

Still angry, he knocked loudly on the door of cabin fourteen, shielding his eyes from the light of the projector. The door opened to reveal Butch, the bulky and bald-headed councilor of the Iris cabin. 

"Can I help you?" Butch asked, his gravely voice suspicious. 

"Your projector is shining in my window." Nico replied plainly. "It's very annoying."

"Sorry about that," Butch nodded, "did you try closing your curtains?"

"Yes." Nico said, the annoyance starting to come through in his tone. 

"I see. I'll move it to the other side of the cabin, then."

"Thanks." Nico said as he turned away and Butch closed the door. The head councilor for the Iris cabin wasn't so bad to talk to, so long as you didn't make fun of his mother or his interests. 

Nico re-entered his cabin and settled down onto the bed, trying to block out the noise of his neighbors. 

He couldn't call Chiron, it would ruin his image.

He couldn't just leave, as he had agreed to try and stay.

And now, he couldn't just wait it out, it was a matter of honor. The Dionysus cabin had laughed at him, he couldn't just let it go. All because of something he had said... 

Perhaps he could use that...

\----------

Half an hour after Nico had visited, the children of Dionysus were still going strong with their Friday night party. The music was blaring and the Dr. Pepper was flowing, until there was a knock at the door. 

One of the younger demigods visiting from another cabin answered the door, and screamed. 

On the porch was a small horde of skeletons in varying stages of decay, pushing their way into the house. They ravaged the snack table, pushing cheese and crackers past their bony jaws to clatter against their ribs and fall to the floor. They poured bottles of Dr. Pepper over their teeth and soiled the carpet. Demigods screamed and ran out of the house and into the woods. Once the cabin was empty except for the undead, the music went silent. 

In his cabin, Nico smiled. Someone was pounding on his door. He opened it to see a very disheveled Pollux, Dr. Pepper staining the front of his shirt.

"Di Angelo!" He panted, breathless. "Call off your skeletons!"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Nico replied cooly.

"We get it, ok?! The music was too loud. Now send these things back where they came from!"

"Oh I see. When I said your music was loud enough to wake the dead, I was serious." Nico replied, leaning against the doorframe. "I can tell them to leave, but I can't actually control them right now. Too tired, you understand. Haven't slept yet." He smiled sardonically. "I can't over-use my powers, doctor's orders. Hopefully they leave on their own, but if they're still there in the morning, let me know. I'd be happy to help you out. Goodnight!" Nico closed the door on Pollux's flabbergasted face, and went to his dark, quiet bed to sleep. 

The skeletons, thankfully, returned to wherever-they-came-from by 3am. The campers of cabin twelve were only left sitting outside in the dark for three hours. After that night, there was an unspoken curfew of eleven P.M. for loud parties whenever the son of Hades was at camp.

After that night, the son of Hades stayed at camp much more often.


End file.
